Monday, 31 August 2015

Manchester United transfer news LIVE: Manchester United close in on Anthony Martial as he leave camp to complete £36m transfer

Monaco striker Anthony Martial has been given permission by the French Football Federation to leave international duty to complete his transfer to Manchester United.

The £36million deal ‒ which could rise to £58m with bonuses ‒ will see the 19-year-old replace Javier Hernandez after the striker joined Bayer Leverkusen in a £12m move on Sunday.

ZERO CAPS FOR FRANCE, SO WHY IS MARTIAL WORTH £36MILLION?

Anthony Martial, 19, is Monaco’s No 9 and leads the line for the Ligue 1 club.

He made 48 appearances in all competitions last season, scoring 12 goals and setting up five — one an assist for Dimitar Berbatov in their 3-1 win at Arsenal in February.

Making his professional debut for Lyon in 2012 just a day after his 17th birthday, the teenager is uncapped but has been named in the latest France squad to face Portugal and Serbia on September 4 and 7.

A statement read: 'Anthony Martial presented himself on Monday at 11am at the gathering of the French national team at Clairefontaine. He requested the permission of Didier Deschamps to travel to England to sign a contract with Manchester United.

'Given the exceptional circumstances, the coach has agreed to the request of the player. Anthony Martial left Clairefontaine on Monday at 12pm. He will return on Tuesday morning.'

Luis Campos, Monaco's special advisor who is responsible for transfers, previously admitted enquiries had been made for Martial but maintained he was not for sale.

The teenager, who has been compared in style to Thierry Henry, played for Monaco against Paris Saint-Germain on Sunday night. He was the subject of a failed £19m offer from Tottenham Hotspur earlier this summer and has been watched by Chelsea also.

United suffered their first Barclays Premier League defeat of the season on Sunday, as Swansea City came from a goal behind to beat them 2-1 at the Liberty Stadium.

The performance drew a scathing assessment of the United squad from Gary Neville, who said Louis van Gaal needs to sign a new goalkeeper, defender and striker before the transfer deadline.

Van Gaal made the dubious claim that United 'dominated 85 minutes' of the match, which they led through Juan Mata before Andre Ayew and Bafetimbi Gomis claimed the win for Swansea.

Sergio Romero was again selected ahead of David de Gea in goal but, while his error helped Gomis score the winner, Neville extended the blame by slamming the team's lack of attacking intent.

The Sky Sports pundit said: 'They have not got enough cutting edge. They have not got players who can beat players in the final third, they don't create enough. For me they get lulled into thinking they are playing football really well.

'They dominate possession but they don't dominate matches. You dominate a match by scoring goals and playing at a high tempo. Win the game and then control possession.'

Neville added: ‘They need to sort the goalkeeper situation out. That’s a big problem. United need to sign a new striker, keep De Gea and now that Jonny Evans has gone, ideally a centre back too, in the next few days.’

Having allowed Robin van Persie to join Fenerbahce and sent Radamel Falcao back to Monaco at the end of his loan deal, many expected United to bring in a new forward.

Martial, who hit 11 goals for Leonardo Jardim's side last season, is considered one of the most talented young forwards in Europe. He impressed in Monaco's Champions League defeat by Valencia but would not be cup-tied if his move to United goes ahead.